Mario is my bread and butter. Period. All I wanted from Super Mario Sunshine was a sequel to Mario 64. The second the gates opened for the media at 9am, I was on a mission for Mario. I knew one of the people who would be manning the Mario Sunshine surround booths, so I sprinted as fast as I could, and sure enough, was the absolute first E3 attendee to get my hands on the controller. I have to say, I am not disappointed in the least.

The E3 demo has 6 different playable levels, if you can call them that. Some of those are actual levels, or you can jump directly to the boss, or play an obstacle course to get used to the controls. I played the first main level, and I have to say, there’s a PILE of things to see, do, and interact with. The level was huge, and had lots to do and play with. Within moments I was bouncing off of walls, nabbing coins, washing away mud, and stomping baddies.

The controls took about 2 seconds to adjust to if you are a seasoned Mario 64 player. Jumps, stomps, triple jumps all become second nature within moments. It all feels very familiar, until you try out the advanced moves. Sliding efficiently in mud, bouncing on wires and ropes, swinging on trees, flinging yourself off of ropes, and squirting water in the right direction took a little more practice. I think by the time I play this for the second time I should have Mario’s new moves down a little better. The control stick seems to be more sensitive than the N64 controller, but like the above, with time, you will be Mario once again. It all feels all so familiar.

Graphically, it is better than the screenshots has led everyone to believe, but it’s still only a partial upgrade to it’s N64 predecessor. Some of the textures are bland, but everything is very colorful and vibrant. The water effects are solid, and everything runs at a quick frame rate. I’m not quite sure if it’s 60fps, but I didn’t see any slowdown what-so-ever.

Aurally, Nintendo seemed to take some of the same samples from Mario 64, but add more variation. Mario doesn’t speak full sentences, but he does his usual yips and yahoos. If you love Mario music, you’re going to be pleased. I can’t wait to play more so I can hear more tunes.

A few more random notes about the gameplay:

- If you run around in the mud, it’ll splash onto Mario’s clothes and face. Mud does not injure Mario in the level that I played, but it affects his control, and makes everything slippery.

- Water is not unlimited. You can refill water by pressing R while you are in the water, or by picking up water bottles.

- When you’re sliding around, you can punch though enemies.

- Miyamoto has left his signature all over the game with M’s. I’m not sure what they do yet, but it’s a welcome touch.

After just my first play, and watching a couple of our staff play, I can’t wait to get back on the floor and play some more. It may not be the most beautiful GameCube game out there, but in my opinion it just screams fun. It’s the Mario game I’ve been waiting years to play, and it’s been well worth the wait. July 19th (for the import version) can’t get here soon enough. But for now, I must get back on the show floor to get some more Mario loving. Nintendo, I thank you for once again making my Mario dreams come true.